Which developmental change most clearly signals the transition from “attachment in the making” to “clear-cut attachment”?

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To approach this question, I’ll evaluate what each developmental change signals in infant–caregiver dynamics across the attachment process.
Option 1: Improved recognition of familiar voices. While recognizing familiar voices is important for development and social perception, it is more related to early processing of social stimuli rather than marking a shift from attachment in the making to clear-cut attachment. It doesn’t specifically indicate a change in the infant’s strategy toward the caregiver.
Option 2: Emergence of stranger anxiety and separation protest. This option signals a key milestone in attachment theory: the infant has formed a primary bond with the caregiver and now expresses wariness toward unfamiliar people (stranger anxiety) and protests when separated from the caregiver. This reflects a transition from pre-attachment stages toward a distinct, stable attachment with the caregiver who is seen as a secure base.
Option 3: Greater reliance on caregiver for physical needs. While ongoing caregiving is essential, greater reliance for physical needs is characteristic of earlier phases (such as indiscriminate or pre-attachment phases) and does not uniquely capture the shift to a clearly defined attachment bond with a specific caregiver.
Option 4: Increased responsiveness to caregiver facial expressions. Although sensitivity to the caregiver’s expressions is important for social and emotional development, this heightened responsiveness alone does not mark the specific transition to clear-cut attachment. It can occur earlier as part of general bonding and social referencing, and it does not explicitly denote a change in attachment status like stranger anxiety and separation protest do.
Overall, the strongest signal of moving from attachment in the making to clear-cut attachment is the appearance of stranger anxiety and separation protests, which indicate the infant has formed a specific, secure relationship with the caregiver and now shows distress at separations and unfamiliar people.

2025/26/1 PSYB19-103 1 - Introduction to Psychology 2025. 12. 16. Quiz

Which developmental change most clearly signals the transition from “attachment in the making” to “clear-cut attachment”?

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